Chery Group Chairman Yin Tongyue said the Chinese automaker has learned from Toyota and Tesla during its growth, speaking at the Chery International User Summit 2026 in Wuhu, China. He pointed to Toyota’s approach to efficient production, quality and building a sustainable ecosystem, while saying Tesla had inspired Chery to think from first principles and explore areas including AI, clean energy, robotics and new business models.
Chery has reached cumulative global sales of 20 million vehicles, according to the report. Yin said the company aims to turn advanced technology into everyday products and expects AI to help lead it into what he called a new era. He also said Chery wants to evolve from a conventional automaker into a technology group by 2035. Over the past five years, the company has invested US$5 billion in key industries, including new-energy vehicles, and plans to keep investing in AI and environmentally friendly vehicles.
Founded in 1997, Chery became the first Chinese brand to reach one million cumulative vehicle sales in 2007. The group now includes Chery, Exeed, Fulwin, iCar, Luxeed and Jetour, and operates in more than 130 countries and regions. Exports are a major growth driver: Chery shipped about 943,000 vehicles in the first half of the year, up 71.5% year on year. June exports reached about 191,000, setting a monthly record for the fourth consecutive month; the report said that equated to one vehicle dispatched overseas every 17 seconds.